1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to golf clubs and more particularly to golf clubs which have enhanced characteristics for driving a golf ball in a desired trajectory with improved sound and "feel" and which include structural components for reinforcing, rigidifying, reducing weight and providing more effective control of the golf club during the swing and impacting a golf ball.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various efforts have been made to improve the construction of golf clubs including arrangements to reinforce or rigidify the club in both the club head area and the shaft area. The following U.S. patents are exemplary of such endeavors:
______________________________________ 1,831,255 4,591,160 5,351,959 1,918,485 5,064,197 5,410,798 2,639,804 5,135,227 5,425,535 3,037,775 5,263,713 5,470,071 3,574,379 5,316,300 5,522,594 3,762,707 5,332,222 5,540,625 3,817,522 ______________________________________
The above listed patents disclose golf club heads and shafts which are filled with fluids some of which can be compressed and some of which can flow from one area to another to vary the weight characteristics of the golf club components. The patent to Simmons U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,522 discloses a golf club head having a gas filled chamber provided with a wall fabricated from a relatively thin plastic material so that the gas filled chamber can magnify the forces imparted to the ball when hit with the club head. Other of the patents disclose pressurizing the components of a golf club to enhance operation of the club.
None of the above patents disclose, however, a club head in the shape of a driver constructed of a rigid hollow casing provided with an inflatable bladder for reinforcement of the casing walls which enables the casing to be constructed of a lighter weight and thinner material with the striking face of the casing being inclined in a conventional manner. The prior art also does not disclose an inflatable bladder which enables a metal or composite golf club head to provide a sound and "feel" closely simulating to the sound and "feel" produced when a real wood driver impacts a golf ball. The "feel" (not in quotes hereafter) can generally be described as smooth contact when hitting the golf ball, not sharp or harsh contact.
Further, the above listed patents do not disclose the reinforcement and rigidification of a hollow golf club shaft by utilizing an inflatable bladder extending substantially throughout the length of the shaft. Additionally, the above listed patents do not disclose a golf club shaft having internal and/or external grooves and ribs for reducing the weight and/or reinforcement of the club shaft.